The DHS undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate told the committee that FPS has made improvements in its human capital management since June 2008, when GAO recommended that FPS develop and implement a strategic approach to manage staffing resources.
Rand Beers told the committee that FPS has refined, and is using, a strategic staff allocation model to manage its staffing resources, and that it has also enhanced regional and headquarters capabilities to identify and report personnel strength levels, allowing FPS to achieve and maintain optimum resource levels.
Beers said NPPS and FPS human capital management functions have already been combined following the October transfer from ICE.
He said FPS has been developing detailed performance measures that are directly linked to its 2008 strategic plan, and that the agency has developed a draft set of more than 80 potential measures that are aligned to FPS programs and can provide information to determine FPS progress toward meeting the goals and objectives in the strategic plan.
FPS is now testing and refining the highest priority measures to ensure their feasibility and accuracy, and based on the results plans to establish performance measures in fiscal 2010.
In response to recent GAO recommendations FPS has established a national study group to determine the causes of the lapses and to recommend measures to prevent their recurrence.
Beers said it also authorized overtime to increase the frequency of contract guard post inspections; required contract guards to complete additional training in magnetometer and X-ray screening operations and techniques; and, identified contract guards with expired certifications and qualifications and brought them into compliance with contract provisions or removed them.
